The Ballard East Student Council’s annual Toys for Tots drive was a tremendous success, despite a slow start in late November. Thanks to the dedication of our Student Council members, we organized and held five district-wide collection events from late November through mid-December. These efforts allowed us to deliver a large donation of toys just before winter break to our partners at Fareway Meat and Grocery.

A heartfelt thank you to all the families and community members who generously contributed to this year’s Toys for Tots campaign!

Special congratulations to Lydia Gingerich, who was honored by the Iowa State University Navy ROTC unit for logging the most student volunteer hours during the campaign. Captain Alex Macki (USMC), Marine Option instructor at ISU, presented Lydia with a Challenge Coin in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the Toys for Tots initiative.